Wrench.



W. M. POTTER.

WRENCH.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 13, 1909.

Patented July 12,1910.

ATEN

"mica.

WRENCH.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, IVASHINGTQN M. Portrna, a citizen of the UnitedStates of America, residing at Freedom, in the county of Beaver andState of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in renches, of which the following is a specification, referencebeing had therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to wrenches, and

more particularly to that type of wrench commonly styled a monkeywrench. The objects of this invention are, first, to provide a quickacting monkey wrench with a movable jaw that can be easily adjusted;second, to provide the jaw with simple and elfective means formaintaining the same in an adjusted position; third, to provide a strongand durable wrench consisting of comparatively few parts easily andquickly assembled; and, fourth, to provide a wrench that will bepositive in its action and free from injury by ordinary use. These andsuch other objects as may hereinafter appear are attained by a devicethat will be presently described in detail and then claimed.

In the drawing :Figure 1 is a perspective view of the wrench, Fig. 2 isan elevation of a portion of the wrench, partly in section, illustratingthe movable jaw gripping the shank of the wrench, Fig. 3 is a similarview showing the movable jaw tilted to disengage the same from theshank, and, Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional view of the wrench taken onthe line XX of Fig. 2.

To put my invention into practice, I provide a rectangular shank or bar1 with a fixed jaw 2 and with a detachable handle 3, said fixed jaw andsaid handle being of the ordinary and well known type common to thepresent type of monkey wrench. shank or bar 1 has the rear edge 4thereof provided with ratchet teeth 5 of a width corresponding to thewidth of the shank and extending from the fixed jaw 2 to a point ilriproximity to the outer end of, the hanc e 3.

Slidably mounted upon the shank 1 is a movable jaw 6 having a grippingsurface 7 confronting the gripping surface 8 of the fixed jaw 2. The aw6 is provided with a rectangular opening 9 to receive the shank 1, theopening being of a larger area at the outer end than at the inner endthereof, whereby the jaw 6 can be tilted relatively to the jaw 2, asbest shown in Fig. 3 of the Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 13, 1909.

Fatented July 12, 1910.

Serial No. 507,431.

drawing. The wall of the opening bordering upon the toothed side of theshank 1 is provided with ratchet teeth 10 adapted to engage the ratchetteeth 5 of the shank 1. The wall of the opening bordering upon the frontside of the shank 1 is cut away to provide a recess 11 confronting thefront side of the shank 1. In the recess 11 at the end thereof towardthe handle, there is mounted an L-shaped gripping member, having theshort arm 12 thereof fixed to the jaw 6 by a screw 13 or similarfastening means, while the long arm 14: of said member presses againstthe front face of the shank 1. The long arm 14: is provided with a guidepin 15 encircled by the end convolution of a coil spring 16 arranged inthe recess 11 for normally holding the long arm 14 in engagement withthe front face of the shank 1.

The front face of the aw 6 is cut away to provide a thumb seat 17 andthe rear face of the jaw is cut away, as at 18, to reduce the weight ofthe jaw and save material.

The wrench when made upon a small scale or even the size of an ordinaryhand wrench can be manipulated by gripping the handle 3 and placing thethumb in the seat 17, to tilt the jaw 6 and shift the same toward thejaw 2. It is not really necessary to tilt the jaw to adjust it towardthe jaw 2, as the ratchet teeth 10 will recede over the ratchet teeth 5,but it is necessary to tilt the jaw 6 when it is to be moved away fromthe jaw 2.

It is thought that the operation of my wrench will be fully understoodwithout further description, and while'in the drawing there isillustrated a preferred embodiment of the invention, it is obvious thatthe structural elements thereof can be varied or changed as to theshape, size and manner of assemblage without departing from the spiritof the invention.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new, is

In a wrench, a shank having the rear face thereof provided with ratchetteeth, a fixed jaw carried by said shank at its outer end, a movable jawslidably mounted upon said shank, said movable jaw having an openingformed therein to receive said shank, and having one wall thereofprovided with ratchet teeth, the outer end of said opening being of anarea sufficiently larger than the inner end as to allow said movable jawto tilt relatively to said fixed jaw and permit the ratchet teeth of themovable jaw to pass over the ratchet teeth on the shank, the wall ofsaid opening upon the front face of the shank having a recess formedtherein confronting the front face of the shank, an L- shaped resilientmember mounted in said recess and having the shorter arm thereof securedto the side wall of said recess with the longer arm thereof bearingagainst the front face of said shank throughout the length of said armand extending upwardly through the outer end of the movable jaw opening,a pin carried by the longer arm of said member, and extending into thelarger end of said recess, and a coiled spring located in the larger endof said recess and having the convolutio-ns at one end thereofsurrounding said pin and bearing against the longer arm of said L-shapedmember and the other end of said spring bearing against the rear wall ofsaid recess.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in the presence of twowitnesses.

VVASH INGTON M. POTTER. Witnesses AUGUST H. HECKMANN, AUGUST OoBBnLL.

